Victoria Nautical Song Circle
We have a Nautical Song Circle in Victoria, BC, Canada on Vancouver Island. Started in November 1998, it takes place every other week on Saturday evenings.
CANCELLED at the Bent Mast UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, as of end of Oct 09.
Liquor license undergoing updating to allow "entertainment". News as we have it.
- See the Sailing Orders for venue information. 2009 dates added
- Come and join the crew! (with Circle Format Ideas)
- or check out the (new!) links, lyrics, books and recordings on the Pusser's Stores page. Book page includes some new links to C. Fox Smith material and on-line books.
Salty Tom can no longer hide! He was a stalwart, early participant in the VNSC circles, and has been missed lo these last few years. Then he resurfaced at the Victoria Tall Ship Festival, 2008 and the VNSC 10th anniversary sing. In December 2008 he and some associates started the Mid-Island Nautical Song Circle in Lantzville, BC, on Vancouver Island. It is now taking a break, however if you'd like information of it starting up or occasional sings get on Tom's mailing list by dropping me a line. Or, join the Island Folk Listserver for Folk news. I'll post what I know here as well.
Song circles are by definition for the enjoyment of the participants, thus a small community of the moment. As such they are themselves not performance groups or settings. However some folks from song circles do perform outside of that structure. A spin off from the VNSC has been the Sidewalk Sailors who have appeared and reappeared over the years to blow the doors off some unsuspecting event. The MINSC too has a separate mob with a performance aspect outside of their song circle. The Black Dogs of course. Ask Tom for details. They appeared this summer at various venues including the Lantzville MINETOWN DAY festival, 12 Sept 2009.
In the last little while, the VNSC has hosted the:
2nd
Sea Song Sing Out Friday 27 June 2008
VNSC turned 10! Friday 28 November 2008
and been hanging out at:
Sailors inland, the Princeton Traditional Music Festival 21/23 Aug 09
Sea Shanty Camp - Victoria, B.C. 19/20 Sep 2009 - Hank Cramer and shipmates, at MMBC
enjoyed a musical visit from Charlie Ipcar during his trip to the West coast which included an opportunity to conduct some more research on C. Fox Smith.
Shanties, Stamp & Go's and Forebitters
Shanties were the means of keeping a crew or the Watch On Deck co-ordinated when conducting a seamanship evolution like hoisting a sail, sweating it tight, hauling on a line, turning the capstan by heaving at it or working the pumps. Apparently the merchant navy was the predominant home of the shanty, which was less frequently used in the Royal Navy (British). In the RN a stamp and go might be employed for activities such as weighing anchor, singing considered to be a little too light hearted for the "Senior Service", who also tended to have many personnel available, at least when the guns were't manned. Off watch time for the crew, in those pre-VCR/DVD/satellite TV days might see the Other Ranks, other than officers that is, for'ard(foward) on the fo'c'sle(forecastle) engaged in the leisure pursuits of playing musical instruments; concertina, fiddle; singing or dancing. The forward "bitts" or bollards were convenient items to sit on or define the area of the fo'c'sle deck. Consequently these non-work songs or non-shanties became known as forebitters. Our friends to the south (Americans) sometimes call these fo'c'sle shanties to differentiate between them and the working songs or work versions. There is a nice set of definitions at the Roll and Go site.
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Site updated 2009/10/15.